What the future of Black media could look like

Emmy award-nominated show ‘Insecure’ is now airing its last season. Annenberg Media’s Ayanna Martinez reports on its influence, and the doors it has opened for black creatives.

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The first episode of the fifth and final season of Insecure aired this past Sunday on HBO. Since its first airing in 2017, ‘Insecure’ has been praised by fans and critics alike for its portrayal of black millennial life in Los Angeles.

LAWRENCE DOW: I think the best thing about ‘Insecure’ is that it shows Blackness without overly explaining it.

LEEANN ROSS: I like how relatable it is for sure.

RONALD BORAS: I’m watching it and I’m like, “Damn, I know dudes who are just like that.”

MARIAH HILL: I think it’s a good representation of just, black women.

BORAS: I think it’s nice to have content that seems like it was made with our generation, and like, people that look like us in mind when they made the show.

Shows like ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,’ ‘Living Single’ and ‘A Different World’ were wildly popular and offered viewers a glimpse into aspects of Black American life.

However, that type of representation has been minimized over the years. According to Miki Turner, an associate professor at USC Annenberg, it’s all part of a cycle that needs to be broken.

MIKI TURNER: This thing tends to be very cyclical. One year you’ll have three or four Black sitcoms or so across the four broadcast networks and then somewhat cable, and then, you know, the next year there’s nothing. I think that you’ll see a lot more in the coming years because obviously, there’s more of an audience for it now, but until the complexions and genders in the glass offices change, I don’t think you’re going to see like, a total 180. We’re like at 165 in terms of the evolvement of content. and I think it’s going to take another generation before this is just the norm.

‘Insecure’ has been paving the way for the next generation to do just that. With the show coming to an end, many are wondering what’s next for Black creators in Hollywood. Randy Boyd, creator of Inimitable Productions, is grateful for Issa Rae’s blueprint.

RANDY BOYD: I think what ‘Insecure’ has done for us is show that there’s value in these stories we’re telling as Black people and our experiences outside of trauma. I think now platforms and networks are now waking up to see that. White people, they’ve had so many opportunities to tell their stories. There are so many sitcoms. so many TV shows, so many movies about the white experience. We deserve the same opportunities to tell our stories and have our voices heard and be in control of those stories too.

For now, as fans say goodbye to their favorite awkward Black girl, it’s the perfect time for mainstream media to say hello to some new creators and their stories.